


Precautionary Mates

by we_had_a_bonding_moment



Series: KuroKen omegaverse [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A/B/O, Aged-Up Character(s), Alpha Kuroo Tetsurou, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Early Work, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, I haven't figured it all out yet so more tags will be added in the future, M/M, Mating Bond, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Omega Kozume Kenma, Omega Verse, POV First Person, POV Kuroo Tetsurou, Pining, Post-Canon, Scenting, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, but probably actually not, kuroo is in college, probably fluff, tbh i don't know everything yet but whatever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2018-12-22 08:53:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11963991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/we_had_a_bonding_moment/pseuds/we_had_a_bonding_moment
Summary: What happens when your (ex?)best friend comes to you for help, telling you his parents are all for this 'precautionary mating' idea?I, Tetsurou Kuroo, am in that exact dilemma.We'll just have to see how things go.------------A twist on the 'fake boyfriend' trope(rated 'Mature' for vulgar language. May be subject to change depending on which direction I take this)(( Do not copy any parts of this work, and ask permission to create works based on it))





	1. The Plan

**Author's Note:**

> Yooo! I started a new fic! What can I say? I was inspired!  
> Something I don't see very often is an ABO fic in the perspective of the alpha, so here I go!
> 
> I'd like to preface this by saying that although I'm a massive fan of Haikyuu!! I've only seen the anime (and OVAs) as I only own up to volume 2 of the manga. So if I get things wrong, I apologise but please just take it with a pinch of salt. This is set after the manga anyway.
> 
> Please let me know what you think and if it's worth continuing this! It's really quite different to my YOI fic (which I am still continuing!) so feedback would be awesome!
> 
> I really hope you enjoy! (p.s. 'Precautionary Mates' is sort of a working title but may stick, idk)

I honestly never thought I'd find myself in this situation. It's not something that one easily considers in their life. And yet here I am.  

This takes a lot of explaining, so I guess I'd better start at the beginning. 

One day, a baby was born, and that baby was m- what? Too far back? Okay, okay. Sorry! 

I suppose it all really started that one blustery day. I was walking home after class... 

 

The wind was roaring around me, pulling at my clothes and blowing my hair every which way. I mean, my hair's always been a complete mess, but it was an organised mess. The wind, however, turned it into a more chaotic mess, which I wasn't too pleased with, to say the least. 

I'd had a rough day at college, first with class and then again with volleyball practice; it just wasn't my day, and my spikes weren't going where I wanted them to. Hell, I was even fumbling on some of my blocks, and blocking is my specialty! Anyway, my mind was occupied with thoughts on how I could improve and why I was seeming off, so it was no surprise when I completely collided with something, which turned out to be a human body. 

"Ouch! Hey Kuro, I was right here! I'm not seriously  _that_  invisible, am I?" the all too familiar voice hissed. Well, the voice was familiar, but the tone was unusual. 

"Kenma! Are you okay? Sorry, I was in my own world," I yelped, hurrying to help Kenma up from where he'd fallen after I had crashed into him. 

I really wasn't expecting to see him here. We were right outside my apartment building, and if I wasn't mistaken, it seemed like he'd been waiting for me. That was unusual, since we usually stuck to meeting up on weekends and that. Kenma was still over in Nekoma, while I'd moved on to college, so we didn't see as much of each other as we used to, but we always kept in contact considering we were such good friends.  

"I'm fine. I just... I was waiting for you. I need to speak to you," Kenma said, bringing me out of my head once again.  

Okay, so I may have been lying about the part where I said we kept in contact because we were such good friends. We definitely  _were_ such good friends, but now, I wasn't so sure. You see, the thing is we'd had a fight over the summer after I started college. It must've been over something really stupid because I couldn't even remember who or what started it, but we hadn't really spoken much since. Or at all, for that matter. 

So it was definitely a surprise to see him outside my apartment with the actual intention of not only being there, but also waiting for me. 

"Um... okay?" I said, more of a question than a statement. Still, I led the way into the building and up the multiple flights of stairs to the fourth floor where my apartment was.  

First, I'd like to preface this by saying don't judge me – the rent was cheap! Okay, so you might think I took the stairs by choice because I'm an athlete and yadda yadda yadda, but really there hasn't been a working elevator in this building since like, the 1990s. Don't ask me why, I literally have no idea why they won't fix the elevator. Maybe because this place is a shithole anyway. 

My apartment, which was the second door to the right (and no, not straight on till morning), was what I liked to call 'cozy'. It was pretty small, is what I mean. At least I had a separate bedroom, bathroom and main room with a kitchenette at one side unlike some places I saw when I was looking for a place to stay where it was literally like a prison cell for a room and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities with the other apartments. Actually, prison cells were probably bigger than one of the ones I saw. Hey! Living in Tokyo is expensive, okay?  

Anyway, I'm getting side-tracked. 

When I unlocked the door to my apartment, I kicked a few boxes away that were still there despite my move-in being months ago, and gestured for Kenma to come in and make himself comfortable. I dropped my bag off by the sofa and headed for the kitchenette.  

"Want anything? Tea? Water? Juice?" I asked over my shoulder as I did. 

"No thanks, I'm fine," the smaller male mumbled.  

I just shrugged and grabbed a bottle of pre-made iced tea from my fridge and poured some into a glass for myself. I took a big gulp before heading over to the sofa, where Kenma had hesitantly perched himself on one side. I joined him, sitting on the other side of the sofa and turning my body to face him, leaning my arm on the back and one leg up on the cushions. 

"Okay, Kenma. What's brought you all the way here?" I asked finally, trying to suss out what was going on based on his expression, which was, as usual, unreadable. Despite our fall-out, I still cared a lot about Kenma, probably more than I should, so it worried me that he'd come to find me rather than call me. Hell, I don't even remember telling him where I lived, so he must have really done his research and asked. If there was one thing I knew about Kenma, it was that he hated asking for help. 

"I need your help."  

Oh. Shit. This was serious. 

Judging by the way the boy sighed heavily, my startled confusion must have been evident on my face.  

"You know there's that whole thing going around about unmated and unmarried omegas, right?" He began, his expression still unreadable but his voice sounding far more nervous than I'd hear in a long time. 

I had heard about that. It had been a big deal in the media for a while now. There was the idea going around saying  _'omegas should be mated as soon after they turn 18 as possible to_ _prevent_ _the_ _high numbers of sexual assaults on omegas and therefore reduce crime'_ if I recalled correctly. Fat load of bullshit, if you asked me. As if that was going to solve the issue of lowlife alphas who can't keep their dicks in their pants going around and assaulting people: make omegas mate before they're ready! Blame the victims! As if! Let's just say it was clear which side of the argument I agreed with. 

When I nodded, gulping down the lump forming in my throat because I didn't like where this was going, Kenma took another deep breath and continued. "Well, my parents are kinda pro 'precautionary mating'," he began to explain, using the common media terminology for it. A sugar-coated way of saying 'arranged mating' if you asked me. "And so, they're trying to find me a partner but... Kuro I don't want to be forced into a life-long relationship and bred like cattle!" That last part broke Kenma.  

It physically hurt me to see his unfazed façade crumble in seconds and hear him sob the words out, tears spilling over as he did. Our relationship (or lack thereof) wasn't great right now, but I still pulled the omega into my arms, rubbing his back and whispering soothing coos to calm him as his body shook with the force of his sobs. It took a few moments for Kenma to compose himself enough to catch his breath and finish what he was saying to me. 

"So... I need you to pretend to be my mate," he finally said. 

Huh? 

"Huh?" I voiced, an eyebrow raised in confusion. Pretend to be his mate? How is that even possible? The mark... 

"You know how I know Hinata Shouyou?" he began to explain, as though he read my mind. "His friend Yamaguchi-san can apparently do good stage-makeup, and he said he'd give me a fake bond mark. I just need an alpha's scent and, well, an alpha to help convince my parents to stop. Please, Kuro, I just want to finish school and go to college! I've not even been 18 for a full month and I'm not looking for a mate," he practically begged. Yep, this was definitely an emergency. Kenma  _never_ begged. 

Okay, let's run through the pros and cons of this. Pros: I help Kenma out of a forced and no-doubt unhappy relationship, Kenma goes on to college and probably ends up saving the world somehow knowing how smart this boy is, we rebel against the 'precautionary mating' scheme, and maybe, just maybe, I get to rekindle my friendship with Kenma. The cons: it'll be a long-term ruse with a lot of commitment, we might get caught lying, I actually have to be convincing... 

Looks like the pros outweigh the cons. 

"Okay," I said finally, my voice coming out a lot less audible than I'd hoped. 

"What was that?" Kenma asked, probably in disbelief, though of course his stoic expression was back, the mask returned. 

"I said okay. I'll do it. I'll pretend to be your mate," I clarified, pushing away they full extent of what I was agreeing to from my mind for now. At this moment, Kenma's happiness and safety was most important. 

His face lit up like a child on Christmas. "Really? Thank you so much, Kuro!" he exclaimed, jumping into my arms to hug me once again before he seemingly realised what he'd done and pulled away, averting his eyes and straightening his uniform. I had to pray that he couldn't see the ghost of a blush that had begun to creep onto my cheeks. 

And that was how it began 

 

 – ∞ –  

 

After that first meeting with Kenma, I didn't hear from him for another week. At least this time we made sure we had the right phone numbers (which we did because neither of us had changed our phones) so we could easily contact each other. So, during the week of silence from Kenma, I continued with my usual schedule of class, lectures and practice. It was hard, being academically talented enough to be a leading physician or something, but having the most motivation to play volleyball. That's why I'm still going to college and getting a degree but playing volleyball competitively in the official university's team. That way, I don't have to cut one out and can continue with both just a little longer. Until I make a decision on what I actually want to do with my life. No pressure. 

When the next Friday rolled around, however, I was intrigued to see a text from Kenma. 

 

 

> **Kenma** **:** _meet me @_ _nekoma_ _. p_ _ractice match w/_ _karasuno_ _after school_  

 

I knew what that meant. It meant the plan was going to start. If there was a practice match with Karasuno, it meant that Yamaguchi kid was going to be there, and was probably going to do Kenma's bond mark makeup. How he was going to keep it there for probably the rest of the year, I had no idea. Although I was never that terrible at art – maybe he could show me how to do it so I could refresh it? I'd have to wait until I got there to find that out.  

 

 

> **Tetsurou:** _will do. See u then_  

 

I quickly texted Kenma back before hurrying off in the direction of my next class. Being a college student was rough. 

Luckily, I managed to get through the class with relative ease, making all the notes I needed for the next assignment despite my mind's audacity to wander off into thoughts about all sorts of things, including (but not limited to) Kenma's predicament. Okay, so it  _may_ have been limited to just that.  

The rest of the day went by in a similar fashion, until I was finally free. I just counted my lucky stars that practice was postponed until later in the evening because the gym was in use for an event of sorts for a few hours. That gave me plenty of time to get back to my place and drop my bag off. When I pulled out my phone, I noticed there were another couple of texts that I hadn't heard because I had my phone on silent during class. 

 

 

> **Kenma** **:** _bring something that smells like u_  
> 
> **Kenma** **:** _a shirt or something to make it more believable_  

 

That made sense. In order to convince his parents he was taken by an alpha, Kenma needed to smell like an alpha. No use having the mark and nothing to show for it. I just hoped he didn't need me to go to see his parents tonight, since I really couldn't miss practice. We were nearing the tournament season, so we needed as much practice as we could get since the team dynamics were only just beginning to form with the loss of the seniors and the addition of my year. 

I decided it was better to let Kenma know I'd gotten his texts rather than let him worry if I would bring things or not. 

 

 

> **Tetsurou:** _makes sense. I'll bring a few_  

 

I hurried to my room to see what would be best. If I was honest, I had been letting the laundry pile up a little, but not much seeing as I had to constantly wash my volleyball kit. I couldn't just give Kenma freshly washed clothes, though. They wouldn't smell like an alpha – like me – so I needed to give him something I'd worn but that wasn't too dirty. Looking down at myself, the plain white t-shirt I was wearing seemed to fit that description well enough, so I pulled it off (which did nothing to temper my incessant case of bed-head) and shoved it in a duffel bag. I grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it on, and found another shirt that wasn't too ripe to shove into the bag. Finally, I pulled out my scarf and added that to the bag for Kenma. If those clothes didn't scent him enough, I didn't know what would. 

When I deemed myself ready, I left the apartment and headed down to my old high school. 

 

 – ∞ –  

 

"Nice serve!" 

"Nice receive!" 

The familiar sounds of a boys volleyball match could be heard from outside the Nekoma gym as I approached it, smiling as I reminisced. 

Okay, so what if it was only a matter of months since I'd still been a student? It was still nostalgic! 

Seeing as everyone but the first-years of the school recognised me, I had practically no difficulty getting in, and no-one batted an eye when I headed straight for the gym. When I finally got there, I leaned in the open doorway for a moment. 

It was intriguing, really, to see the high school practice match from an outsider's perspective. I could see all the ways people were fumbling, making mistakes that didn't break the rules but could cost them the match. Being with the college students for just a couple of months had already taught me so many things that would put high school me to shame.  

The old air of competitiveness against Karasuno was still there inside of me, though, when I smirked seeing that Nekoma were in the lead. The Battle of the Trash Heap would be Nekoma's this year, no doubt. 

Then I spotted Kenma, cool and calculating on the court, his superior strategic knowledge and ability to adapt to different plays set him apart from the rest. I knew already that he turned down being captain of the team, most likely because of his difficulties with social interactions, which I could understand, but his talent on the court was still being utilized as it had the years prior in order to give Nekoma the best shot at winning.  

And yet omegas were still looked down upon in some societies. 

Anyway, I was pulled out of my thoughts when the ball flew directly towards me. It would have hit me in the face if I didn't have such cat-like reflexes and was able to block it, sending it back towards the court. That was when the others realised I was there.  

I grinned sheepishly and waved when I heard my name being called in surprise, the loudest of all being Yamamoto, but there was nothing I could do about him now, seeing as I was no longer his captain. Still, as his senpai I could still put him in his place if he got too rowdy... if I was bothered to. 

"Kuroo! How've you been?" the booming, gravelly voice of my former coach exclaimed.  

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck, shrugging. "Not too bad, Coach Nekomata. I don't mean to intrude. I was just here to see Kenma after practice," I explained, my eyes flicking over to where the aforementioned setter was standing, poised and ready to play. 

Luckily for me, Coach Nekomata said this was the last set, both teams having won a set each, so whenever one of them won it would be the end. He also told me I was more than welcome to watch, and if I had any input I was more than welcome to point things out to the Nekoma players. 

Lucky for them, I wasn't paying much attention. Only to Kenma. It was both strange and fascinating, watching him play the way I was used to but not playing with him. I was enticed by his performance, the way he looked like he wasn't doing anything one second to setting a perfect toss the next. I almost had this sort of... itch, really, to join in and play. Of course, there was no way I could do that, so instead I had to endure just by watching.  

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, though it couldn't have been long, when the final whistle blew, signalling Nekoma's victory. 

Hey, I guess Lev learned how to receive the ball after all. 

"Kuro," I heard Kenma's monotonous voice call, waving me over.  

We managed to sneak out, Kenma, Yamaguchi, Hinata (for some reason) and I, while the others packed and cleaned up the gym. We hurried to the locker rooms while no-one would be in there, and went over the plan. 

I was honestly really impressed with Yamaguchi's work. It seemed he'd started the 'fake bond mark' before the matches and only needed to finish now. He explained it was mostly done with a type of stain that wasn't permanent but did last quite a while. Something about it being useful in movies when filming was on multiple days and they had to know exactly where certain scars and marks were on the actors for their characters. He did, however, give me a small kit of the makeup and showed me how to refresh it when it began to fade, which I took care to remember. We'd had to move into the bathroom by the time the rest of the players filed in, but there wasn't much left.  

"Oh, right! The clothes," I said, recalling the bag I was carrying. I unzipped it and pulled out the couple of shirts and the scarf, handing them over. At this point, Yamaguchi and Hinata had left, hurrying back to their own team so as not to cause a panic. Besides, I was like, ninety percent certain that Yamaguchi was an omega and dating glasses-kun so he wouldn't want to be caught with an alpha like myself.  

Kenma took the clothes and gave them a sniff, probably to test if they had enough of my scent on them. "Thanks, Kuro," he muttered, as always using that nickname.  

No, I totally didn't swoon a little. What are you talking about? 

A deep red blush suddenly blossomed on Kenma's cheeks, spreading to the rest of his face. What was he thinking about to make him blush and avert his eyes like that? 

"Uh, um, Kuro... I think it's only gonna really work if, ah, if you scent me," he finally mumbled, and I had to pause for a second to make sure I'd heard that right. 

Oh.  

"Uh, well I guess it does make sense," I muttered myself in response, rubbing the back of my neck. Nervous habit, probably. "Is it okay? If I scent you?" I asked. I had to ask, just to make sure. Hell, this was serious business. But if it meant keeping Kenma safe and happy, it was a necessity. 

He nodded in response, baring his neck –  _fuck,_ his  _scent glands –_ for me, his two-toned shoulder-length hair falling to one side to leave the smooth, porcelain skin on show. 

I gulped. 

 _Okay you can do this, Tetsurou. It's just scenting. Not like we're doing anything... sexual._  

I took a deep breath, the sweet but tempered omega sent wafting into my nose as I did, relaxing my nerves ever so slightly. Then, I scented him.  

I bent low, pulling Kenma closer to me so I could rub the scent gland on my neck, aka the strongest scent gland, against his own, while also rubbing my bared wrists in different places like the backs of his ears, aiming to leave a lingering scent. A scent that said  _he's mine._ Well, except for the fact that he wasn't. I had to ignore the part of me that was sort of bummed out about that. 

Kenma was my  _friend._ Nothing more. How long would it take to get that message into my head? 

When I finally pulled back, I gave Kenma a sniff and nodded in satisfaction. He positively  _reeked_ of me. There was no way his parents wouldn't believe him.  

We'd just have to deal with the consequences of that later. I, however, didn't see how there could be a problem, seeing as they only wanted him to mate to keep him safe from random alphas on the streets. Flawed logic, if you asked me. Keep an omega safe from random alphas by making them mate with a random alpha. In fact, they should be thrilled, seeing as I  _wasn't_ a random alpha, and I wasn't exactly doing badly in college or volleyball. I had a future ahead of me. For all they knew, there was a spot in my future for their son. 

Kenma's face didn't seem any less red, but he nodded when he saw I felt he was scented enough. "Thanks again, Kuro," he whispered, sounding much more intimate. 

Oh god. Were the pheromones always this heavy in the bathroom? 

"No problem, Kenma. I've gotta run, but let me know how it all goes. And you know where I live. If worse comes to worst, go straight there, okay?" I told him, picking my now-empty bag back up. I couldn't imagine it would come to that, but at least there was that backup plan.  

Kenma merely nodded, and I waved back at him as I left the bathroom. I had to get back for practice.  

I just hoped to god it all went according to plan. 


	2. What The Hell Did I Sign Myself Up For?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg I swear I started writing this chapter pretty much immediately after I posted the first one, but then time escaped me and now here we are, nearly 5 months later... SORRY (I did tag it as slow updates in my defense!)  
> Anyway, please enjoy!

Man, when I say I was a second away from being late to practice that night and therefore from running laps, I really mean  _a second._

Still, I managed to get to practice, but because it was an evening session I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got back to my apartment. I was ready to just crash right then and there, but I knew I needed to eat, so I heated up last-night's leftovers. As I was eating, I realised I'd gotten some texts from Kenma. 

Crap. I'd totally forgotten.

> **Kenma** **:** _parents are_ _convi_ _nc_ _ed_ _._
> 
> **Kenma** **:** _not too happy I went behind their back but are ok_
> 
> **Kenma** **:** _they want u to come for dinner tomorrow..._
> 
> **Kenma** **:** _can u make it?_

Dinner? That mean I had to act like I was Kenma's mate in front of his parents. With how rocky our relationship together has been recently, I didn't know if I'd be able to do it convincingly. It could get awkward. Hell, I'd probably have to kiss him on the cheek and stuff, act like we're in love. And there was no time to make a plan about it with Kenma if it was tomorrow.

Still, it'd look a little suspicious if the man Kenma claims is his boyfriend and mate all of a sudden doesn't turn up for a mere family dinner. It wasn't like I'd never met Kenma's parents before. Just... not in a while. In fact, Kenma probably told them about the fight, so it would make sense for them to be suspicious.

Shit. There's no way around it. I had to go.

> **Tetsurou:** _got no plans tomorrow evening so I'll be there_
> 
> **Kenma** **:** _thanks_ _kuro_ _. I owe you_
> 
> **Tetsurou:** _nah don’t worry about it. I got your back_

So, as I ate my re-heated leftovers, I was now plagued by the thoughts of how I was possibly going to convince Kenma's parents I had really mated with him.

 – ∞ – 

Honestly, what the fuck do you even wear to a dinner with your fake mate/boyfriend's parents?

I had to call in some help.

"Hey, Bokuto, you've been dating Akaashi for a while now right?" I asked when the eccentric ex-Fukurodani ace finally picked up the phone. He was the first person I could think of to ask for help, and seeing as we were pretty good friends - bros, if you will – he also seemed like my best option.

"Hello to you too, Kuroo," he said back with a chuckle. "To answer your question, yes, Akaashi is my boyfriend, which you knew already. What's that got to do with anything?" he asked in response, sly curiosity seeping through the phone. Guess I should have opened with something better than that, but oh well.

I took a deep breath, mustering up the courage to explain myself. Maybe it could help our plan if we had some more people on our side. Bokuto would definitely be willing to help. He was such a big softie, especially when it came to his boyfriend, Akaashi.

"Well, the thing is, Kenma's parents were trying to join in that 'precautionary mating' fad and find him a mate, but you know what he's like. He can't handle  _talking_  to strangers let alone being  _mated_ to them! And he wants to focus on school and all that. So he came to me asking me to pretend to have mated with him and that Karasuno glasses kid's friend or boyfriend or whatever did this stage makeup thing to make the bond mark and I scented him and everything but now his parents want me to go round for dinner and I have no idea how to pretend to be his mate and I don't even know what to wear!"

I was pretty sure I barely took a breath through that whole explanation, but at least I'd finally got it all off my chest. There was a moment of silence before Bokuto was able to actually comprehend that mess I dropped on him.

"Oh, wow. Okay. Um, sounds pretty complicated," he mumbled after a minute, sounding pretty lost for words. "Okay, so what has that got to do with my relationship with Keiji?" he then asked, seeming to have finally digested the full extent of what I'd said to him since he answered the phone.

"What I mean to say is, what do I wear to the dinner with Kenma's parents?" I asked, my voice sounding pathetically meek for my taste. 

In all honesty, I wasn't quite sure why I was freaking out about this so much. I mean, it was just dinner. It wasn't like I'd never had dinner with Kenma's family before. To be fair, this was different. I guess I just had to convince myself it was for Kenma's sake and safety. I needed to do this well to keep Kenma out of trouble. 

Yeah, that sounds better. Not like there were any confusing feelings running through me. No, not at all.

From the other end of the line, I could hear Bokuto's chuckle. "Well that part I can help with!" he chortled, much to my dismay. "Even though you know them, you've gotta dress like your meeting your boyfriend's parents for the first time," he began to explain to me while I slumped helplessly on the end of my bed. "Don't go full black-tie attire, but dress smart. Knowing you, neat black pants and a white button-up shirt with the top button undone should do the trick. Smart for the parents but sexy for the boyfriend."

"Hey hey hey, woah there. Did you forget I'm not actually  _dating_ Kenma? I'm just pretending to!" I cut in, getting exasperated. 

Bokuto – the bastard – just chuckled again. "I didn't forget, but you've got to sell it to them. You've just got to act like you would naturally if this relationship wasn't fake. The more natural, the more believable. Black pants, white shirt, black belt with a moderate buckle, and black shoes. That's all you need. Well, and a coat because it's freaking cold. But if you have a long, smart-looking coat that's be better."

I sighed, shaking my head (though obviously Bokuto couldn't see that). "Alright. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the help, buddy," I said in resignation finally. Since when was Bokuto a fashion expert? Mind you, I was the one who asked him for help.

"No problem," he replied, no doubt grinning smugly.

"Oh, and Bo?" I then added.

"Hm?"

"Akaashi's lucky to have you." Bokuto truly was a good friend, so one can only imagine what he'd be like as a boyfriend or a mate, even. No doubt that was going to happen sometime soon.

"Thanks, bro. Good luck!" 

With that, Bokuto hung up and I was left to locate the outfit Bokuto deemed suitable from the chaos that was my closet.

 – ∞ –

Okay, in my defence, I haven't been on a date in a long time. Still, I managed not to be late, and that was a feat in itself. 

I pulled up outside Kenma's house with four minutes to spare, dressed almost exactly how Bokuto advised me to. My hair was its usual organised mess, despite my many attempts to tame it, but Kenma had always said he liked my hair, so I didn't think it'd be too much of a problem.

It did, however, take me a full minute to muster up the courage to get out my crappy second-hand car and walk over to the front door. 

No longer than five seconds after I rang the doorbell, the door flung open and Kenma's panicked, wide amber eyes were on mine, silently crying for help.

"Tetsurou! Long time no see," Kenma's father called as he entered my field of vision. "How have you been?" He came closer, so Kenma moved aside to let his father grasp my hand in what I consider to be an overly-firm handshake while I tilted forward slightly in a respectful bow. I couldn't help but feel like there were some unspoken undertones to his words, though.

"Yes, sorry about that, sir. I'm doing good, thank you," I replied, trying my hardest to be respectful. I couldn't let Kenma down just because I didn't know how to act formally with people.

"Come in! Dinner is almost ready," Kenma's father, Satoshi, beckoned, showing me to the main room while Kenma closed the door and followed behind.

"Um, father, I've got something to show Kuroo really quickly upstairs. Is that okay?" Kenma suddenly asked a little timidly. 

Satoshi agreed, warning us not to be long and that dinner was really almost done. Kenma lit up and nodded enthusiastically before grabbing my arm and pulling me up the stairs. Where he got this energy from all of a sudden, I had no idea. 

"Woah, Kenma, what's up?" I asked, thoroughly confused, when we made it to his room in record-breaking speed. 

Kenma shut his door and turned to me, a calculating expression on his face. "They're gonna ask you a bunch of questions, and you need to be prepared. I estimated as many questions as possible, and our answers need to match," he began to say, speaking quickly and methodically, as though he was thinking about this like a volleyball strategy rather than a family dinner. 

Still, I nodded. He had more to lose from this if I fucked up than I did. "What have you come up with?"

"If they ask how long we've been together, say something like a long time but only seriously more recently. If they ask about the fight, say lovers' quarrel. If they ask about your future, speak determinedly. They don't like 'maybes' and 'I don't knows' at all."

Kenma clearly had more to say, but I could see it in his posture and smell it in his scent. He was stressed and panicking. So I did the first thing I could think of. I pulled him into a hug, releasing as calming a scent as I could manage.

"Kenma, calm down. We'll make it work, okay?" I murmured in a soft voice, my arms around him, gently rubbing his back, which was adorned in a knitted sweater over a shirt. 

It was almost instantaneous, the effect I had on calming Kenma. I could feel his body relax, his breathing become deeper and more even, and his scent definitely went from sour to more sweet. 

"Thanks, Tetsu," he mumbled, pulling away and looking like he was a little embarrassed. His cheeks were slightly pink, and he looked away. 

 _Cute,_ I thought.

Wait. Why the fuck am I thinking of Kenma like that. It's  _Kenma_  for god's sake! My best childhood friend. That's all. 

Yeah.

"Dinner's ready!" a female voice called out, effectively snapping me out of my dangerous thought path. 

Kenma looked at me, panic seeping back in, but I just gave him a reassuring smile and took his hand. 

When he looked from our joint hands then back up to me with a confused look on his face, I just shrugged and told him, "Better to make an appearance right from the start. We're meant to be lifelong partners now."

"Oh, yeah," Kenma mumbled, and let me lead him out the room and back downstairs. Once we reached the bottom of the staircase, I opted for putting my arm around him in the protective way that I'd seen be typical of alphas on TV shows. 

It might have been my imagination, and to be honest I didn't know where my mind was going at this point, but I could have sworn I felt Kenma shiver a tiny bit. Still, he didn't push me off, and seemed to be more relaxed about the whole situation while I was there by his side. Maybe our friendship really  _hadn't_ been severed by that argument in the summer, whatever that was about.

Anyway, with my arm around Kenma protectively, we joined his parents in the dining room. The table had been set out with a crisp, clean ivory tablecloth and the plates of food were already in each place ready for everyone to sit. The only thing missing was Kenma's mother, Mei, who entered from the kitchen with one last dish to place on the table. 

"Ah, Tetsurou. So glad you could make it," Mei said as soon as her eyes flicked over to me. I gulped, feeling the sharpness in the air around her. I had met Mei a good few times, and she'd never been as intimidating those other times as she was now. 

"Thank you for inviting me," I responded as politely as I could muster. I could have sworn she was giving me a covert death-glare. In fact, I'd go so far as to say she became the definition of 'if looks could kill'. 

What looked to me to be a rather forced, thin-lipped smile made its way onto her face. "Well, shall we sit and enjoy the meal?" Mei then suggested, though it really wasn't much of a  _suggestion_ at all.

I could definitely feel the awkward atmosphere hanging low over our heads as we too our seats, mine being next to Kenma and opposite his mother.

"Itadakimasu," we each murmured before starting to dig into our food. I took things a lot more slowly than I would have if I was on my own. Or in any company other than Kenma's parents.

After a rather painful silence. Satoshi's voice cut in as he looked directly over to me.  _Great._

"So, Tetsurou, I know you've known Kenma for a long time, but when did you start being a thing?" he asked, sounding like he was trying his best to sugar-coat it.

I recalled what Kenma had advised me upstairs, and cleared my throat before answering. "It's actually been quite a while, but we only more recently mutually decided to take things more seriously and take things to the next level," I replied matter-of-factly, leaving no reason to doubt what I said was true. 

"How sweet," Mei cut in. "It's like something out of a romance novel. Friends to lovers." I definitely felt the spite behind those words.

" _Mom,_ " Kenma whined, his face turning a brilliant shade of red, no doubt from his mother's use of the word 'lovers'. "You can't just say things like that."

"And why ever not, dear?" she responded with a sweet voice. 

Honestly, you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. I was surprised any of us were still breathing, with the thickness of the mood occupying all the space oxygen should have.

I decided we needed a change of topic before things dug too deep or got too heated, so I cleared my throat subtly. "The food's delicious, Mrs. Kozume," I interjected. "I don't think I've had beef this tender before."

That seemed to work. Mei's eyes lit up, and she seemed to straighten herself up proudly, a smile playing on her lips. 

"Why thank you, Tetsurou. It's a family recipe," she replied happily, seeming to have forgotten her spite (at least temporarily).

We managed to finish the meal with relatively smooth conversation from then on, making the earlier tension seem silly. I mean, to be fair, I was the one talking the most during the meal, answering Kenma's parents' questions about university, volleyball, my aspirations and goals. I couldn't be sure, but it seemed like they were warming back up to me.

However, unbeknownst to the four of us in the house, the outside weather was deteriorating fast. What was fairly heavy, cold winds before was rapidly becoming gale-force with heavy rain. Of course, we could hear it a little, but with the thick walls and double-glazing windows, we were oblivious to the extent of the chaos. 

That was, of course, until the power went out.

It was while we were cleaning up, Kenma and I washing up while his parents cleared the table then made tea. I was mid-way through scrubbing at a bowl when it went dark. Pitch-black, really. I heard Mei gasp and whisper to her husband, then some scuffling sounds before a  _click_  that brought with it the beam of a flashlight. 

"It seems the weather has affected the power here," Satoshi stated, which was obvious, but I neglected to point that out to him. "We also can't, with good conscience, let you drive in this weather, let alone walk in it, Kuroo. We'll set up the sofa bed in the basement for you," he continued, not giving me even the slightest bit of a chance to refuse the offer. 

It took a second for that to all sink in.

 _Shit!_ I'm going to be sleeping overnight at Kenma's house! While we're pretending to be mates!

My mind was reeling with the possibilities of things going wrong. What if Kenma's parents expected me to sneak into Kenma's room and... well, you get the point... or something like that? What if the awkwardness between Kenma and me becomes too obvious? 

Yet, there was absolutely nothing I could do. I wasn't about to die trying to drive home in torrential rain. No, even attempting would look too suspicious anyway. Wouldn't a boyfriend normally be excited to stay at his partner's house?

God, now I'm just giving myself too many rhetorical questions. It's starting to sound like a murder mystery! 

"Thank you for your hospitality. Please take care of me," was all I could think to reply instead. 

Now, with the power off, Kenma and I quickly finished up the washing just by the beam of a flashlight. Kenma hadn't said a word since before the power went off, which was starting to worry me, but I wasn't sure what to say to him anyway. ' _Sorry if I fuck this up_ '? Hell no. 

Soon enough, Kenma's parents had set up the sofa bed in the basement, which was used more as Satoshi's 'man cave' now that I thought about it. After letting me know it was ready and warning Kenma and I of, and I quote, "No funny business," they went to bed, leaving Kenma and I alone in the living room, a flashlight each. 

The awkward silence was too cliché for my liking, so after only a few seconds, I cleared my throat. "So, um, I'm gonna go ahead and use the bathroom and go to bed if that's okay," I announced, quietly so as not to disturb Kenma's parents upstairs.

In the dim lighting cast by shining the flashlight on the wall, I could see Kenma nod. "Okay. Goodnight, Kuroo. And thank you," he replied softly, finally speaking after all this time. 

With a nod, I headed for the downstairs bathroom and Kenma headed upstairs, presumably to his room. 

I can tell you this right now, you better be able to hold a flashlight in your mouth otherwise pissing in a blackout would be an absolute nightmare. Lucky for me, I was able to do just that, and when I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror.

Reflecting back on the evening, I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. I wasn't sure what to make of Kenma's parents and what they thought of my 'relationship' with Kenma; at first, they seemed hostile, but they seemed okay with me after a while. Still, I could feel the tension hadn't fully lifted.

Then, there were the other weird thoughts going through my mind. Like how Kenma lightly gnawed on his bottom lip when he was nervous, or how his cheeks turned rosy at some of his mother's comments.

 _Snap out of it, Kuroo!_ Looking at myself in the mirror, I slapped both my cheeks simultaneously, trying to draw my mind away. No way was I going to explore those thoughts further. 

Taking a deep breath, I finally made my way down the narrow stairwell to the basement. Good thing I'm not easily spooked, or there would've been no way I was sleeping down there, especially with a blackout. 

I considered the crisp shirt and newly-ironed pants I was wearing, and decided sleeping in them was a bad idea, so I stripped down to just my boxers and the undershirt I was wearing before I climbed into the rickety sofa bed that creaked and groaned with my weight. 

I must've fallen asleep quite quickly, because the next thing I knew, I was begrudgingly opening my eyes to a blinding white light.

"Shit, am I dead?" I groggily groaned, lifting an arm to shield my eyes from the brightness. 

Immediately, the light shifted to the side, out of my face, illuminating the room just a little. I blinked several times as my eyesight recovered, only to make out the vague image of Kenma standing near the bottom of the staircase.

"Sorry," he muttered, averting his eyes to the side to avoid making eye contact with me.

"Jeeze, Kenma. No-one told you it was rude to blind houseguests?" I asked jokingly as I was becoming more awake.

Kenma did that thing – one of the things I said I wasn't going to think about – where he chewed on his bottom lip, before muttering, "sorry," again.

Now I was more alert, I could sense Kenma's unease. "What's up, anyway? Is it already morning?" I asked, though surely I would have seen some sunlight through the little window that was high up on the far wall.

Kenma shifted where he stood and finally looked at me, if only briefly. "No, um... t-the thing is, there's... there's really loud th-thunder a-and... can I sleep d-down here?"

Oh.

My.

God.

How? How could he possibly be this cute?

Wordlessly, worried my mouth would fail me, I gestured for Kenma to come closer while I shifted to one side of the bed. 

Quickly but quietly, he came over to the bed and climbed onto the side I had just vacated, getting under the covers with me. 

We lay there silently, not looking at each other, before Kenma broke the silence.

"Thanks, Kuro," was all he said before he curled up on his side and clicked the flashlight off. 

I just prayed to whatever celestial being was out there that his parents didn't catch us like this and get the wrong idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually love writing this so I will be adding to it! It's just difficult to find the time since I'm at university and have a load of assignments, so updates will be slow! If you came from my YOI fic, you may know I broke my leg at the end of November, and although the fracture's fixed, I still have a way to go in recovery so the time I used to spend on sport is now free, so hopefully I can use this opportunity to write more.
> 
> ANYWAY - IMPORTANT QUESTION:  
> As you know, this is a/b/o and currently rated M for language and topics. I want to know, do y'all want it to go E for 'explicit sexual content' or nah? (If I'm honest, I'm struggling a little not to turn it explicit lol, but I'm trying to keep it relatively PG). The other option is to keep the main story sex-free and write separate oneshots, but idk how easy that'll be. SO, in the comments, please vote with PLEASE for sexual content, NAH for no sexual content, or ONESHOT for the 3rd option.  
> Thank you!


	3. So This is... What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this shit? It might be shit... it's taken 4 months to write so... sorry?

The next morning, I woke up to the pale morning light filtering into the basement through the small window, giving half the room an ethereal glow while casting the rest in shadow. 

I yawned widely and stretched my stiffened limbs, which was when it hit me like a truck: Kenma had slept in my bed last night.  

 _Kenma_ _. Slept. In. A. Bed. With. Me._  

Slowly and cautiously, I turned my head to the side to see that the boy was still there, curled up in a foetal position facing me, but still very much soundly asleep. 

Heart pounding almost painfully in my chest, I gently peeled the duvet off my body and carefully climbed out the bed, wincing at the protesting creaks and groans of the mattress springs and bedframe. Luckily, I didn't seem to have woken Kenma, so I proceeded with tiptoeing out the basement, up the stairs and into the bathroom, though not without my phone, of course. 

Once in the safety of the locked bathroom, I finally breathed easier, gripping the sides of the sink as I tried to slow the racing of my heart. 

When it didn’t immediately go away, I fumbled with my phone and called the only number I could rely on. 

Despite the early hour of the morning, the call connected after only a few rings. 

"Yo, bro, what's up?" the all-too cheery voice asked brightly. 

"Bo, I've got a problem. Last night, I stayed at Kenma's because of the storm and I was in the basement because there's a sofa bed, and he was in his room upstairs, but then he got scared of the thunder or something and came down so I let him sleep in my bed but like all we did was sleep but then I woke up and he's still there and now I'm in the bathroom and my heart is beating like, really fucking hard, and oh my god why won't it stop? It's beating so fast what the fuck? Am I dying?" 

I barely took a breath as I rambled the whole thing to Bokuto, letting everything come out my mouth at the same pace it entered my mind in. 

"Pretty sure that's called feelings, bro," Bokuto supplied, not even bothering to hide the amusement in his voice.  

Feelings? That's not right. That  _can't_ be right! 

"Bro, this is  _Kenma_ we're talking about! I've known him since I was a kid!" I hissed down the phone, trying to keep my voice at a whisper and shout at the same time, which is no easy feat. "And need I remind you that we're not exactly on the best of terms right now?" 

Bokuto didn't seem at all phased by my insinuation that having feelings for Kenma was, in fact, impossible. "Kuroo, bro, hear me out. I know you, and I know for a fact that whatever dumb fight you had with Kenma in the summer tore you apart because it stopped you from being able to see him. I know how much you've cared about him in the past, and as much as you'd like to think that's all friendship, you know damn well 'friendship' doesn't quite cut it," he explained, starting to sound more sympathetic than amused, thankfully; I didn't know how much more of his teasing I could take. 

Logically, in my head, it made sense. Everything he said made sense. But I just wasn't ready to accept that I may or may not have been harbouring 'more than friend' feelings for my childhood friend. It just didn't seem right. Well, nothing seemed right to me since the summer, but I brushed that feeling of unease off and focused myself in my studies and volleyball. That way, my mind had no capacity for such... inconvenient thoughts. 

I didn't speak for a good minute, nor did Bokuto. I just stood there, in the small downstairs bathroom in Kenma’s family home, clutching my phone by my ear, trying to steady my heart rate.  

"...Okay," I began, slowly, deliberately annunciating each syllable. "Say, hypothetically speaking, I may have some sort of feelings for Kenma like you said. Hypothetically! There's still nothing I can do about it – he's so against relationships and mating and all that! Why d'you think I'm in this mess of pretending to be his mate in the first place! I can't just ruin everything by confessing to him!" Somehow, I managed to push aside the reminder scratching at my brain that I was basically confessing to Bokuto what the owlish boy had already assumed.  

For the first time in a good long while, I heard Bokuto sigh – like, an actual exasperated sigh – at my words. The absolute cheek! "Bro," he began, as if he was talking to a very clueless person (which I absolutely am not!). "Has he ever actually said he's against  _all_ relationships? Have you given it a chance?" I was about to answer, but he carried on, not giving me an ounce of room to argue. "I know you, so I'll bet any money the answer is 'no'. You gotta deal with this one on your own, buddy. Take it from someone who spent years pining over 'Kaashi before actually asking him out – the answers you get might not be what you expect." 

I was surprised and, quite frankly, a little scared by how... wise, for lack of a better way to put it, Bokuto's advice was.  

The problem was, did I have the courage to bring this up with Kenma? These speculative 'feelings' that might just be me overthinking things or genuinely having a heart attack?  

No. Not yet, at least. 

"I see what you're saying, Bo, but I don't know. As long as I've known him, he's rejected every advance anyone has ever made on him. If he rejects me too... I don't want to make things even more awkward. Not while his parents think we're lifelong partners. But I'll think about it, 'kay?" I replied, worrying at the hem of my tank top, knowing Bokuto wouldn't settle for a half-assed answer. Especially when it was blatantly obvious 'making it awkward' wasn't my only reason for being hesitant. 

On the other end of the line, it sounded like Bokuto wasn't satisfied with my answer, if the pitiful sigh was anything to go by, but he took me at my word. "Okay man, but you better figure things out before you dig yourself any deeper. Anyways," he then began, his tone perking up immediately just with that word, "I gotta go. I'm taking Keiji to the botanical gardens today! Let me know how things go!" 

"Will do.  And have fun," I said back, sounding more forlorn than I had expected. 

With that, our call ended, and I realised I had been in the bathroom for an almost suspiciously long time. Quickly, I splashed cold water on my face and gave my mouth a rinse (seeing as I didn’t exactly have a toothbrush here) before exiting the room.  

Thankfully, Kenma's parents seemed to still be asleep, since the lights were still off and I didn't hear anything when I passed the kitchen and main room. Still, I crept my way back downstairs to the basement, careful not to make too much noise. 

When I got there, the sofa bed was sans-Kenma, but he wasn't in the main room or kitchen either so he must have woken up and gone back to his room while I was in the bathroom. 

Slumping down on the old, lumpy mattress, I let out a forlorn sigh and rubbed the back of my neck, a nervous habit of mine. 

Well, it's not like I was going to say anything to him now anyway. And he probably went back so his parents wouldn't assume anything... naughty.  

Still, for some reason, I couldn't help but feel a little deflated that he had left the bed so quickly. 

 

 – ∞ – 

 

The morning passed both easily and uncomfortably for me. 

Declining Satoshi's offer to lend me some clothes, I was dressed in the same shirt and pants I had arrived in.  

I managed to get through breakfast without ruining the whole ruse, and Kenma's parents didn't seem any more suspicious of me today than they did yesterday. It probably helped that they woke up to find Kenma in his own room and me in the kitchen, making breakfast for everyone. Plus, Kenma had enough of my scent on him to keep up the façade but not enough to smell like we'd done anything in the night. That was probably down to the fact that we slept in the same bed but didn’t cuddle or anything like that. For all his parents knew, I'd lovingly scent-marked him once we'd woken up. 

"Well, Kuroo, it's been a pleasure having you," Mei said sweetly, still not quite convincingly though, as I stood by the door about to leave; the storm had calmed to a light rain, so there was nothing keeping me from leaving now.  

"Oh no, Mrs Kozume, the pleasure's all mine," I charmingly contended, offering a (hopefully) genuine smile. 

Kenma stood beside me, fidgeting with the hem of his sweater, averting his eyes as usual. He hadn't said much the whole morning, and god forbid he mention our sleeping arrangement from the night before in front of his parents.  

"Well, I'll leave you two a minute," Mei offered, her eyes flicking between Kenma and I as she backed off towards the kitchen. 

Without hesitation, Kenma grabbed the door handle, yanked the door open, and as good as shoved me outside. He followed behind and pulled the door shut behind him. Then, and only then, did he take a deep breath and let his shoulders slump with his head hanging low. 

"I'm sorry about... all that," he mumbled, not looking me in the eye. 

I didn't even think, I just acted. It was like my brain's hardwiring had malfunctioned, stopping me from thinking about things rationally before I did them, because I gently placed my hand under his chin and coaxed his head up to look at me directly in the eye.  

"Hey," I softly half-whispered. "Don't be sorry. You didn't plan any of that," I reassured him. 

If my eyes weren't deceiving me (and they very well could have been – I have a track record for misreading things) I would have said that a light blush made its way onto Kenma's cheeks. 

That was when my brain decided to catch up to the rest of my body and realise how close I was standing to Kenma, his back against the door with my hand still on his chin. 

 _Fuck._  

As though a bolt of electricity struck me, I quickly let go of Kenma and stepped back. "Um, a-anyway, I'll see you around," I stammered, spinning on my heel and making a dash for my car immediately after without stopping to look back at Kenma.  

Damn Bokuto for being right. 

 

– ∞ – 

 

Well, as much as I would have loved to have paused time to give myself room to breathe, life went on as I continued to battle with these newfound revelations that may or may not have involved 'feelings' for Kenma. 

Instead, things were rather chaotic over the weeks following my impromptu sleepover at Kenma's. University work began piling up, training was getting more intense as the intercollegiate championship drew nearer, and that was just for me.  

Kenma was also understandably very busy; having qualified for nationals, Nekoma's volleyball training had taken up basically all of Kenma's free time. When he wasn't in training, he was studying for his exams. 

All of that meant our time together was limited. 

Not that we would have spent much time together if we were more free. We met up frequently but briefly over the past two weeks since that dinner, purely to refresh the mark makeup and to let me scent him and some of his clothes so his parents didn't get suspicious. 

I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish our meet-ups could have lasted longer, but at the same time I was still figuring out my feelings for Kenma, and I probably would have made a complete idiot out of myself by now if we saw each other any longer than we had been. 

Everything was going smoothly, and we'd fallen into a steady routine, until things kind of... changed. 

The catalyst: nationals. 

"So I kinda told my parents you were coming to watch me at nationals. Y'know, since they don't have the time to come themselves," Kenma had sheepishly dropped on me at the start of the third week since the family dinner when we met up at the local park for our regular scenting. 

I wanted to complain. I wanted to tell him it was wrong of him to do that without talking to me first. I wanted to be irritated. 

So why was I lowkey happy? 

Playing it cool, I leaned back on the park bench, eyebrow raised in a questioning look, and crossed my arms. "So what you mean to say is you want me to come and watch you play at nationals," I stated confidently, the corners of my mouth tugging up into a knowing smirk. 

Rolling his eyes, Kenma imitated my posture and sighed. "If that's how you want to put it, then fine. I want you to come watch me at nationals. Happy?" 

Honestly, I was taken aback by this blunt response. How was I supposed to interpret that? Did he actually want me there? Or was it just another part of the scheme to keep his parents off his back? 

Needless to say, that was how I ended up in the audience of the high school volleyball national championships.  

Thankfully, nationals was being hosted by Tokyo, so I could still go to my classes and training, and I only needed to watch when Nekoma was playing.  

Like they were now, as the first round commenced. 

"Hey hey hey! Kuroo, bro!" I suddenly heard a loud, vociferous voice call while the teams were warming up, making my head whip round and a huge grin adorn my face. 

"Bokuto!" I exclaimed just as boisterously, moving in for a bro-hug. "Came to support your old school too?"  

It was such a surprise to see Bokuto here, mainly because my mind was so preoccupied with thoughts about a certain omega that it didn't even cross my mind that Fukurodani qualified too. Still, it was a feat in itself that Bokuto could locate me in this huge crowd. 

"You bet'cha," he replied after clapping me on the back a little too hard as per usual. "But more importantly, I'm here to support my mate." 

Of course! How could I have forgotten? Akaashi was a third year, still playing for Fukurodani. Obviously Bokuto would come and watch! 

"You know that if and when our teams play each other, we're temporary enemies, right?" I pointed out, my lips turned up in a sly grin.  

Bokuto only matched my grin and threw an arm around my shoulders, leaning some of his weight into me. "Kuroo, my man, we could never be enemies, but I will cheer my Akaashi on 'till the end of days." 

"And I'll be cheering purely for Nekoma." 

"Then we understand each other." 

A flash of competitiveness passed between our eyes, but we were soon laughing together and taking our seats. Of course, we sat right up to the barrier to get the best view of the games. 

Before long, Nekoma was out onto the court, warming up on one side while their opponent did the same on the other. 

As if pulled by a magnet, my gaze would not stray from Kenma; as usual before a big game, he looked stoic and bored to the untrained eye. In reality, I knew that his demeanour meant he was focused and possibly even a little nervous. He had a reputation to uphold, and the pressure was showing. Well, at least to me it was – he was subtly fidgeting with the hem of his jersey, which was a habit of his when he was nervous or stressed that I'd picked up on in our younger years. 

Just as the game was about to begin, Kenma's eyes somehow found mine. Trying to ignore the rapid increase of my heart rate, I flashed him my biggest smile and gave him a thumbs up. To my surprise, he nodded once in return before turning back to the matter at hand of lining up before the match. 

Then, the game began.  

As expected of Nekoma, both sets were won with relative ease, both with at least a 5-point margin. Kenma's impeccable tossing skills shone through, and he'd managed to trick the opposing team several times with his setter's dumps. Their success in that match pushed them on to the next wave, and the next, until it was the semi-finals. 

Finally, it was Nekoma vs Fukurodani.  

Bokuto and I shot each other smug grins, both of us confident our own old schools could win, before the game began.  

It was intense, I can't lie. Both teams had third-years who wanted to go out with a bang, second years raring to go, and first years desperate to prove their worth. For a good while, the points were going up at a pretty equal rate, though Kenma's sharp eye and extreme focus helped keep Nekoma slightly ahead. Lev's height was also a big bonus, and it was interesting to see how far he'd come since his first year, his blocks much more solid and his movements much faster. Not that I was really watching anyone other than Kenma; there was just something about the way he played that was so mesmerising. I'd hardly ever gotten to see it from this perspective, the first time being when I went to meet him at his practice match with Karasuno. Even now, though, it was like watching him for the first time. Each movement expertly calculated, each toss precisely executed. I couldn't believe he nearly gave up those years ago. He could go pro, if he wanted. But I knew that wasn't for him; it took long enough for him to work as a team in Nekoma, and it would be even harder for him to work with a completely fresh team as he would if he went pro. That, and he'd face media attention, which would probably be his worst nightmare.  

No, this would be Kenma's last year of competitive volleyball, and boy was he making it count.  

Nekoma took the first set, but they weren't done yet; by the middle of the second set, Fukurodani were leading by four points. Turning to Bokuto, I could tell we both had the same thought: this was going to be a close one. Three sets were a certainty, neither team giving up without a fight. 

Honestly, the game was so intense that I was on the edge of my seat, unable to look away. Everyone was putting their all into every move, though it was clear that the intensity was starting to affect everyone. By the start of the third set, Fukurodani having taken the second, the plaers were beginning to tire.  

It was probably for that exact reason that one of the Nekoma first-year wing spikers ran too early for a block and ended up barrelling into Kenma. Pulled from his focus by the disruption, he didn't see Fukurodani's attack coming until it was too late, and he ended up taking it right in the face. 

"Kenma!" I shouted, alarmed and panicked as I jumped out of my seat.  

Without thinking, I ran from the seats and down to the courts. The game had paused and by the time I reached them, Kenma had been guided to the benches, a towel held to his nose. 

I rushed over, oblivious to anyone and everyone around.  

"Kenma! Kenma are you alright? What am I saying? Of course you're not alright!" 

"Shut up," Kenma grumbled, batting away my hand as I tried to assess his injuries. I could tell he was in pain, but he wasn't willing to show weakness. Typical Kenma, thinking getting hurt showed weakness. 

Inevitably, I had to move because the medic needed to check Kenma over. Still, I didn't want to leave his side; I was so worried about him! And who was this medic to come and make me move? To put his hands on my Kenma? 

"Kuro! What the hell?!" 

Kenma's voice snapped me back to focus, only to make me realise I'd started growling at the medic.  _What? Why was I...?_  

"Sorry. Sorry," I muttered, moving a little further away and trying to hide my embarrassment. 

It felt like forever before the medic stood back up and announced his diagnosis. "Well, the good news is your nose isn't broken. The bad news is I can't let you finish the game. Not when you have the possibility of developing a concussion." 

The rest of the medic's explanation went over my head and all I could think about was how devastated Kenma must be. He would never admit it, but I knew this game meant a lot to him. While the medic moved on to explain things to Coach Nekomata, I took a seat next to Kenma, ignoring the other players quietly and worriedly watching from a short distance.  

"Here, let me," I said softly, taking the ice pack from Kenma's hand and keeping it gently pressed to the bridge of his nose.  

"I'm fine, Kuro. You don't need to-" 

"But I want to," I countered before he could even finish.  

In response, Kenma just rolled his eyes and huffed, but he didn't fight it. Instead, he just let me hold the cold pack for him, which told me that he didn't hate it.  

"You played really well, you know. Like, pro-level amazingly well," I muttered as the players got ready to continue the game, though this time without the brain of the team. 

"Whatever," Kenma grumbled, but one glance to the side told me he was happy with the compliment, his eyes losing some of the sharpness of his annoyance.  

Then, out of nowhere, Kenma sighed and leaned to the side, resting his head on my shoulder. Not that I was against it. Quite the opposite. 

Together, we watched the rest of the match unfold. Without their mastermind player, Nekoma started to fall behind, their plays less precise and their whole dynamic wonky. It was actually pretty hard to watch, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn't take Kenma away before it ended, and Kenma wouldn't admit to wanting to leave anyway. 

All too soon, the game was over. Fukurodani had progressed to the finals, and Nekoma graciously accepted their defeat. The other third-years, Yamamoto and Fukunaga, powered through the final bow, only letting a few tears slip through. That was it. Their final game in highschool was over. 

Glancing beside me, I could see Kenma's fists clenching his shorts tightly, the only sign of his frustrations. 

As the boys started heading back to the bench, I stood, pulling Kenma up with me. I couldn't let him stay here like this. 

"Coach, Kenma's still feeling bad, so I'm gonna take him home if that's alright." 

Kenma glared up at me from behind the ice pack I was still holding to his nose (which was admittedly making my hand go numb, but that was unimportant), but he didn't say anything to dispute me. 

Coach Nekomata's disappointment slipped a little, making way for concern and empathy as he nodded. "Look after 'im, Kuroo." And with that, he turned his attention to the rest of the team.  

Silently, I led Kenma away, grabbing his bag for him as we went. It wasn't until we were outside in the cool air that Kenma spoke again. 

"Thanks." 

That was it. That was all it took for me to know he wasn't okay. That was what made me stop in my tracks and, without thinking, just pull the boy into my arms. 

He was rigid and uncomfortable at first, but I didn't let go, and soon enough, he relaxed a bit. Gripping the front of my shirt, Kenma hid his face in my chest, and I didn't need to see his face to know he was crying. The gentle shakes of his shoulders told me enough.  

"It's okay to be frustrated, Ken. You don't need to always put on a brave face," I whispered to him, just holding him close as long as he needed. 

It felt strange, holding Kenma as he openly wept. This was the boy who never opened himself up to people, who never wanted to 'burden people with his problems' as he would put it. Yet here he was, dampening a patch of my shirt with his tears and letting me keep him close. What this meant, I couldn't say. I just knew I would be there for him no matter what. 

It was a few minutes before Kenma pulled back, his head lowered so his hair covered his face while he wiped his eyes.  

"Thanks, Kuro," he murmured finally. "Can... can we just go now?" 

"Of course, Kenma. Anything for you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's to hoping the next chapter won't take so long XD sorry, I had writer's block and exams

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos would be greatly appreciated!
> 
> (Just a heads-up, the omegaverse stuff in here is mostly generic, and it won't be the biggest focus of the story - KuroKen is - but I did come up with the 'precautionary mating' thing myself :D )


End file.
